This invention relates generally to air conditioning systems and, more particularly, to an outdoor heat exchanger coil structure with an associated panel which limits the accessibility of the airflow to the coil.
Conventional air conditioning systems include both a condenser unit and an evaporator unit, with the condenser unit being located outside and having a heat exchanger coil and an associated fan for blowing ambient air over the coil to thereby dissipate the heat which has bee transferred to the refrigerant during the refrigeration cycle. While the indoor fan is normally driven by a relatively high powered motor to facilitate the proper distribution of air through the ductwork, the outdoor fan is designed for high volume flow at relatively low power. Because of the apparent need to provide for the unrestricted flow of ambient air to the coil, it has become the normal practice to locate the condenser coil in such a position that there is no adjacent structure that would in any way obstruct the free flow of ambient air thereto. The rule of thumb in the industry is to provide at least three feet of clearance around the outer edge of the coil. Thus, the usual practice is to provide a multisided coil surrounding a fan which is axially disposed therein, and with no structure elements located radially outside of the coil except for a grill structure, which presents substantially no restriction to the free flow of air to the coil.
In packaged air conditioning systems of the type which are normally placed on roof tops, both the outdoor and indoor units are placed in the same cabinet, with the two being separated by appropriate partitions or cabinet walls. In addition to the outdoor and indoor coil sections, there are other components such as a compressor, an economizer, etc. which must also be included in the package, thereby further complicating the structure and providing an impediment to the desired unrestricted flow of cooling air describe hereinabove. Further, in some such systems, such as a so called YAC (year-around) unit, there are additional components such as a furnace heat exchanger and an associated combustion system. Because of these requirements, the space for an active coil surface that is unrestricted with regard to airflow thereto, is necessarily limited. But at the same tim,, because of the desirability of obtaining higher efficiencies, it is desirable to increase the size of the effective coil surface. For example, in a system having a three-sided, U-shaped coil, with each of the three sides being unobstructed to airflow an the fourth side being reserved for placement of the compressor unit, it would be desirable to place the compressor within the coil and to add a fourth side to the active portion of the coil. To do so, however, it would be necessary to disassociate the coil from other areas of the unit while, at the same time, not unduly restricting the flow of ambient air to the coil surface.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved air conditioning outdoor coil structure.
It is also a function of the present invention to provide a heat exchanger coil structure having a greater effective area but one which is not unduly restricted from the flow of cooling air thereto.
Yet another object of the present invention is the provision in an air conditioning coil structure for more efficiently utilizing the available space in an air conditioning unit.
Yet another object of the present invention is the provision of an air conditioning outdoor unit which is easy and economical to manufacture but which i effective and efficient in operation.
These objects and other features and advantages become more readily apparent upon reference to the following description when taken in conjunction with the appended drawings.